The U.S. Navy disqualified 151 sailors Wednesday for "lacking proper training" following a review of sexual assault personnel, the same kind of review that resulted in the Army disqualifying hundreds and discharging dozens of soldiers.
Navy spokesman Lt. Cdr. Chris Servello told USA Today the Navy expanded it's initial review — prompted by orders from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel — from 10,000 sex assault coordinators, instructors and recruiters to 20,000.
What they found were many sailors who "didn't receive the proper training or lacked certifications for duties involving sexual assault prevention and response."
Servello added other sailors had issues that just made them bad choices for their jobs, but those issues weren't disclosed.
The Navy's move to disqualify sailors comes after the Army dismissed 558 soldiers from so-called "positions of trust," like sexual assault counselors or coordinators, for past infractions ranging from drunk driving to sexual assault and child molestation.
A startling Pentagon report released last year kicked-off the review and subsequent dismissal.
Jake Tapper: "Military sex assault cases increased six percent last year compared to the year before." (Via CNN)
In addition, the report indicated anonymously reported sexual assault cases grew 60 percent since 2010.
This isn't the only black mark on the Navy's record this year. The Navy announced in February it was looking into allegations of a cheating scandal among senior instructors. Those instructors were allegedly trading answers to an exam that qualifies sailors to work nuclear reactors on submarines and carriers.
USA Today reports it is "unclear how many [of the 151] sailors, if any, the Navy will seek to discharge from the service as a result of the review."
